City (Palestinian Territories) – Israel’s military carried out waves ofretaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after Palestinian rocketshit Israeli cities as a deadly escalation showed no signs of slowing,raising fears of war.
Gazan authorities reported nine Palestinians killed, including at leastthree militants, by Israeli strikes in the fighting that began Saturdaywith massive rocket fire from the strip.
Israel however disputed their account of the deaths of a pregnant woman anda baby, blaming errant Hamas fire.
Three people were killed in Gaza rocket strikes on southern Israel onSunday. One was confirmed as Israeli, but police had not released thenationalities for the other two.
The Palestinian dead included a commander for Hamas’s armed wing who Israelsaid it targeted due to his role in transferring money from Iran tomilitant groups in the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said heinstructed the military “to continue its massive strikes on terror elementsin the Gaza Strip.”
He said he had also ordered “tanks, artillery and infantry forces” toreinforce troops already deployed near Gaza.
The flare-up came as Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the blockadedenclave, sought further concessions from Israel under a fragile months-oldceasefire.
Israel said its strikes were in response to Hamas and Islamic Jihad firingmore than 450 rockets or mortars across the border since Saturday, withIsraeli air defences intercepting more than 150.
– ‘Immediately de-escalate’ –
In addition to those killed and injured, the rockets repeatedly set off airraid alarms in southern Israel and sent residents running to shelters whilealso damaging houses.
The Israeli army said its tanks and planes hit some 260 militant targets inGaza in response. It targeted mainly militant sites and in some casesmilitants themselves.
Targets included an Islamic Jihad attack tunnel that stretched fromsouthern Gaza into Israeli territory, it said.
Two multi-storey buildings in Gaza City were also destroyed.
Israel said one of the buildings included Hamas military intelligence andsecurity offices.
Turkey said its state news agency Anadolu had an office in the building,and strongly denounced the strike.
Israel said the other building housed Hamas and Islamic Jihad offices.
The Gaza health ministry said the dead from the Israeli strikes included a14-month-old baby and a pregnant woman, 37. It first identified the womanas the baby’s mother, but the family clarified on Sunday that she was theaunt.
Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said that based on intelligence”we are now confident” that the deaths of the woman and baby were not dueto an Israeli strike.
“Their unfortunate death was not a result of (Israeli) weaponry but a Hamasrocket that was fired and exploded not where it was supposed to,” he said.
Islamic Jihad’s armed wing distributed a video showing militants handlingrockets and threatening key Israeli sites, including Ben-Gurioninternational airport near Tel Aviv.
On Sunday, Hamas and Islamic Jihad said their armed wings had targeted anIsraeli army vehicle with a Kornet missile. It was unclear if it was hit.
Israel closed its crossings with Gaza for people and goods, as well thefishing zone off the enclave’s shore, until further notice.
Egyptian and UN officials held talks to calm the situation, as they havedone repeatedly in the past, while the European Union called for animmediate halt to rocket fire from Gaza.
The UN envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Nickolay Mladenov,called on “all parties to immediately de-escalate and return to theunderstandings of the past few months.”
The United States said it fully supported Israel’s “right to self-defenceagainst these abhorrent attacks.”
Jordan, one of only two Arab countries with a peace treaty with Israel,urged it to “end its aggression against the Gaza Strip and respectinternational humanitarian law.”
– Visit to Cairo –
The escalation follows Friday clashes along the Gaza border that were themost violent in weeks.
Four Palestinians, including two Hamas militants, were killed after twoIsraeli soldiers were wounded in a shooting during weekly protests on thefrontier.
Israel and Gazan militants have fought three wars since 2008 and fearsremain of a fourth.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt and the UnitedNations, had led to relative calm around Israel’s April 9 general election.
But recent days saw a gradual uptick in violence, placing the ceasefire atrisk.
A Hamas delegation led by its Gaza head Yahya Sinwar visited Cairo Thursdayfor talks with Egyptian officials.
The truce has seen Israel allow Qatar to provide millions of dollars in aidto Gaza, paying salaries and financing fuel purchases to ease severeelectricity shortages.
Israel has several reasons to seek calm.
Netanyahu is engaged in tough negotiations to form a new governmentfollowing April’s election and the country celebrates its Independence Dayon Thursday.
Israel is also due to host the high-profile Eurovision song contest in TelAviv from May 14-18, expected to attract thousands of spectators.
On the Gazan side, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in the weekahead. -APP/AFP